How do you relieve the stress?
Posted by Cathy on Sep 26th, 2007
Have you joined a caregivers support group? Do you have friends you can call on for a girls' night out? Can your kids pinch hit for you so you can catch a break? Tell us how you are coping. Comment below.
at 10:26 p.m.
No, the problem with caregiving for an elderly parent is that you feel too guilty having a night out with friends. You feel you need to spend that time with your spouse or immediate family. Or you're just too tired to do anything but sleep. You say to yourself, "I'll have time to do that when this is over" which always means "when the person dies" which starts the guilt cycle all over again.
at 8:31 p.m.
When I cared for my parent at home, it would have cost me at least $30 in care coverage in order to attend a support group. And then I would have had to either lie or come up with an explanation of why I needed a support group. Though I think it would have been beneficial, getting there was too complicated.
Instead, I email and call friends who are in the same situation. I've gotten lots of useful tips from them. Unfortunately, when we get together face-to-face any more, we do nothing but talk about our parents.